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My heart throbs at the sight of her. It leaps so hard it feels as if it is jumping out of my chest, and I clutch at the space over my heart painfully. A moment later, my khui settles and then begins to drum a strong, urgent beat.
She took one look and resonated to T'chai
He is a better male than I am, and I think of my petty jealousy of how he touched the female. MY female. Suddenly my insane jealousy makes sense. My spirit knew before my khui did. This female is mine.
Poor R'jaal he found her only to loose her to resonance
At least my new mate is…handsome? Or as handsome as an alien could be, I suppose. I'm still not used to the whole “tall and looming” thing. Or the horns. Or the tail. This one has incredibly long, black hair that has bits of shell woven into the occasional decorative braid.
Aww she thinks he's handsome
The stranger says something to me in a low voice, and even though I can't understand his words, the timbre of his voice is oddly soothing. He sounds calm. Collected. Easy. As if this resonance humming between us is no big deal. Strangely enough, his confidence eases some of the tension out of me. I relax in his arms, and when he heads toward one of the huts, I look at it with interest.
He's trying to soothe her fears
What would Lauren do if she were confronted with a stranger she resonated to and who started to cut off her boots? She'd probably make him stop. She'd probably learn his name, teach him a few words of our language, and take control of the situation.
Lauren was the brave girl who Mari was friends with
His hot gaze moves over my face again. He reaches forward with his hand and taps me on the chest, right where I did. "M'rsl." "Close enough." I nod approval, and then reach out hesitantly and tap his chest. "Who are you?" "T'chai." His voice is all rumbly and deep when he says it, and it makes me quiver. It also makes my Marisol downstairs clench deep inside. "Oh," I breathe. "Your name is…Shy? Did I say it right?" "T'chai," he says again, tapping his chest. The way he says it is differently than me, like there's a hard stop right before his name.
Language lession...
Mari and her resonance mate, just chillin', utterly naked. Totally normal. I fight back a hysterical little giggle and have to admit that it does feel better. Cooler. But if one of his tribesmates sticks their heads in, I might start screaming. I can be naked around this guy—T'chai—since we're resonating and that feels weighty and important. Those other guys? Not happening.
Mari not into the whole nude on the beach scene
T'chai makes a face and then drinks a swig of water, shuddering. "You're seriously weird, amigo." I watch him, brows furrowed. Maybe it's another sort of alien custom I don't understand, like you eat the head of the fish to thank it for its service or something weird like that.
He fed her then grossed her out by eating the head
"We are going fishing. M'rsl ate what I caught but it is not enough." "You caught something?" S'bren's tone is mournful, and when I look back, he is rubbing his stomach. "But you are right, feed your female first. She is the most important."
Females first when it comes to food
Priorities, Marisol, I chide myself. Remember all the history books you read about Pompeii and Herculaneum? Smoking volcano takes priority over whether or not you have to sleep with a hot guy and make a baby with him. Problem Two—Lauren. I don't know where she's at. There's no one else on the beach and earlier, when I headed toward the trees, calling her name, T'chai herded me back toward the beach. I've got to find her. Problem Three—Home. This one feels less “clear” than others. A volcano has an easy solution—get the heck away from it.
Mari recognizes the situation is dire
This place doesn’t feel safe. I have to get out of here. As I glance over at T’chai, who doesn’t look all that concerned, I realize that these earthquakes must be normal for him. In his eyes, they’re no big deal. And that’s…kinda fucked up. We both have to get out of here, I amend. We need to find Lauren and escape this island, all of us. Where we can go, I have no idea. I’m determined to take this one crisis at a time.
Mari knows the tremors are bad and that they need to leave
Might as well feed the others at least. So I take T’chai’s hand in mine and gesture that we should return. His smile of response is brilliant and warm and makes me feel so, so good. I guess I can choose him, too.
Mari being practical...and making T'chai very happy
I see that the water surrounding the island is lighter, as if we're built up on a shelf of some kind and the ocean's not as deep. I see the sides of the cliffs are steep here and curve around the water like the edges of a bowl. It's a caldera, which means there was a volcano here…or still is. And beyond the thick carpet of green trees, I see a jagged peak that looks like a broken tooth, and angry smoke pluming forth from it. It concerns me. It concerns me a lot.
She's concerned about their safety once she sees the caldera
He’s trying to comfort me while his guts are spilling out onto the beach. My heart hurts, even as my cootie purrs and purrs. A strange sense of calm washes over me, powered by shame. I’ve wailed and wept like La Llorona through this entire crisis, and T’chai’s falling apart in front of me…and his only thought is to comfort me? I need to do better. I shake my head and press my hands to his stomach, trying to staunch the bleeding. “It’s okay,” I whisper to my mate. “I’ve got you now.”
Mari finally steps up to be brave for T'chai
Somehow, a week passes and he doesn’t die. I feel hollow and thin, strung out and helpless. My cootie’s stopped humming to his for long stretches of time, and when it does, it no longer feels good. Now, when it hums, it makes me ache all over. It makes me feel like a rubber band that’s been pulled too tight for too long, and I’m waiting to snap in half. I know it’s bothering him, too, because sometimes when his khui begins to resonate, he grimaces, even when unconscious.
Cootie should be fixing T'chai not pushing for mating
“I’m not ready,” I whisper to him, letting my icy tears wet his chest. “I’m not ready. Don’t leave me here alone. I’ve already lost too much.” For a moment—the barest moment—I feel his hand stroke my hair, and I smile.
He's hanging on for her!
“Please, Veronica. Save my mate.” She looks up at her mate and then sighs heavily. Then she puts her hands out to me, palm up. “I’m going to turn yours off first, just in case it strains the khui.” I want to tell her to work on T’chai first, that he needs her healing far more in this moment than I do, but she knows best.
Mari just want to save T'chai ...babies not a big priority
T’chai’s hand twitches on the furs, and I reach for it out of habit. The moment I do, I feel…strange. His touch doesn’t feel dear to me; it’s off-putting. I notice the irritating rasp of calluses and how he’s too warm. His scent bothers me. In fact, all of it bothers me. Which is odd. It’s kind of like touching velvet the wrong way. It’s not bad, just…unpleasant. I want to put down his hand, but I don’t.
Oh no she's lost the joy in touching T'chai
"She asked me, and I said yes," Mari replies with a shake of her head. "I should have said no. I should have trusted your khui to pull you through—" I reach out and take my mate in my arms, ignoring her flinch. "My khui knows you have my heart." "Mine doesn't," she whispers. "Then we will convince them ourselves. If they sang for us once, they will sing for us again."
T'chai hasn't given up hope...poor Mari sounds lost
"She saved your life," I remind him gently. "Whatever happens, I'm still grateful for that. Maybe just…can we cuddle tonight instead of having sex? We're still mates, even if my cootie hasn't gotten the memo yet." I try to give him a bright smile, but to my horror, I start to cry. The look on his face is sheer devastation. "Do not cry, my mate." He pulls me close and then hesitates, as if he's not sure if he should touch me.
So sad for them...
I have to go to Croatoan. Not just because there's a healer there. Because if this thing between myself and T'chai can't get fixed…I'm going to move there, permanently. It'll be easier than facing him every morning and knowing that I willfully destroyed what we had.
Mari going ro Croatoan to stop hrting T'chai
"Why are you thanking me?" "Because I've been so stuck in my own head that I didn't stop to realize." "This is why you must talk to me, my mate. This is why we are partners. Because we are better together than separately."
Partners....on the journey together
I love him, and I love this. If this is what we're meant to have, I'll take it.
They can enjoy each other
"Ash-tar is needed," Bek says. "Another rock has been dropped from the sky by Mar-dock's people."
Another surprize box from Mardoc's old friend
Daisy's small brows furrow and she looks at all of our faces. "Wait. You guys don't know?" "Know what?" H'rlow asks in a patient, kind voice. "Oh dear." Daisy bites her lip. "Even if Niri would take me to our solar system, there's nothing to go back to. Earth is destroyed."
Oh no!
"Do you have another pair packed?" I ask. "Just in case?" "In case?" "In case the healing doesn't work. I still want…us." There's such warmth and affection in his gaze that I want to revel in it. "I want us, too." And he puts another pair in the leather pack that's already brimming with our stuff.
Aww they want to connect even if they need gloves
"You feel different," she confesses. "Better." "No unpleasant sensation?" I ask, daring to trace my thumb across her cheek. "Do you want me to stop?" "Never," Mari whispers, and leans over to bite the pad of my thumb even as she gazes up at me. It is the most erotic thing I have ever seen, and a low groan escapes my throat. I want to haul my mate into my arms and carry her away to somewhere private so I can cover her and rut into her welcoming body.
They are both singing!!! Aww this is progress
Like lightning, T'chai is on his feet in a blink, and he scoops me up in his arms before I can even sit up. He glances over at Zennek. "Tell A'tar and his mate we are not leaving tomorrow. Something has come up." And because I'm a giddy dork, I snicker at the pun. Zennek just grins. "I will spread the word."
Not going travelling....reasonance time!!!
"Are you hungry?" T'chai teases in a low voice as he crosses the village with me in his arms. "Do I need to feed my ravenous mate first?" "The only thing I want in my mouth right now is in your loincloth," I purr at him.
No longer is she shy little Marisol....
"We have mated with such eagerness that I have not taken my time with you, my Mari. When we come together now, it will be special. This time, I will savor every bit of you as you were meant to be savored." "I'm fine with fast," I tell him, tugging at his tunic. "Fast is just as good as slow." He shakes his head, a confident smile teasing his mouth. "So impatient, my mate. I promise I will make this good for you. Let me enjoy you at a slower pace. Let me memorize each moment of this so it will take away all the bad memories of the last few moons, when you wept with frustration and looked at me
...more
Aww T'chai is so freaking tender, romantic and hot
"You have faced down everything to protect me when I was helpless. So tell me again that you are not brave, and I will tell you once more that you lie." The words are achingly sweet. Of all the things I expected T'chai to see me as, brave isn't one of them. For some reason, it makes my eyes well up with tears, and I cup his face in my hands and kiss him, my lips hungry on his.
Aww now I've teared up too
Holy shit. A she-spot…G-spot, I realize, because no sa-khui pronounces the “G” in the alphabet correctly. I let out a wild little giggle. "Here I thought you guys were just talking about fishing." "Hunters talk of many kinds of prey." He gives me the most satisfied grin, even as he puts a hand over my breast and begins to tease it again. "Four legged…and two legged." I groan at his joke, putting my fingers to his mouth. "That was a terrible line." "I learned that one from H'rec."
She-spot LOL
She is so beautiful, my Mari, that it makes me pause. How am I so lucky? I stare at her, overcome with emotion, and a big hand claps on my back. "It was like that for me, as well," Bek comments, and taps the underside of my jaw, where my mouth is hanging open. "I could not look at my Ell-ee without feeling overwhelmed for many, many moons after we resonated. I still feel overwhelmed, knowing she is mine." His hard face softens into a smile. "Take it for the gift that it is and be happy." "I shall," I vow, and gesture at the multitude of packs on the beach. "Here. Let me help with this."
Aww T'chai is gaping at his Mari
"Did she wander off?" H'rlow asks quietly. "Would she be the type to go hunting alone?" "Raven?" Sam looks incredulous. "No way. She hates hunting. Says it messes up her chi or something." "Okay, well, if we're all here, then who the fuck took her?" Leezh demands. The camp is silent.
Where is Raven? Is she missing or stolen?
I straighten, wondering if I should chase him. As I do, I look up. Another pair of eyes flare to life in the darkness. Bigger. Narrowed. Menacing. Uh oh. I stare at the second newcomer as he approaches and realize I am in some serious, serious shit.
Oh no so daddy wants a mom for his kit
